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漠不关心 (mò bù guān xīn) — indifferent, unconcerned

Definition

A fixed four-character phrase meaning 'totally indifferent' — a stronger, more literary alternative to 关心 ('to care'), used in formal or written contexts to describe a complete lack of concern.

verb
indifferentunconcerned

Examples

  • 漠不关心。
    Tā duì bié rén de kùn nan mò bù guān xīn.
    He is indifferent to other people's difficulties.
  • ，漠不关心。
    Zuò wéi lǐng dǎo, bù néng duì yuán gōng de xū qiú mò bù guān xīn.
    As a leader, you cannot be unconcerned about employees' needs.
  • 漠不关心，。
    Tā duì shí shàng mò bù guān xīn, zhǐ zài hu yī fu shì fǒu shū fu.
    She is indifferent to fashion and only cares whether clothes are comfortable.

Origin

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
莫
莫mò漠mò
Same sound today

漠 pairs 水 (water) with 莫 as the sound part. The water part shows the meaning is connected to water.

Open 漠 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 關; 关 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
門門méndoor
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢇅
𢇅𢇅關guān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 关, the traditional form 關 shows 門 as a door and 𢇅 as two wooden sticks locking it, with ring-like marks on top.

Open 关 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 心 comes from a drawing of a heart, now highly stylized.

Open 心 →
Appears in
Attitudes & OpinionsIdioms & Set Phrases

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